University of Connecticut |
Frequently Asked Questions - Life on Campus
When will rooms and roommates be known?Returning students will receive their residence hall assignment prior to leaving for summer break. New students who paid the $150 acceptance fee by May 1 will receive their room assignment and roommate information via their Husky email account in early August. This message will list the room assignment as well as pertinent check-in information. New students entering UConn during the spring semester will receive their room assignment information by email in January. Where on campus can freshmen and transfer students live?The following areas are available for freshmen: Northwest, Towers, North, Buckley, East, Hilltop, Shippee, West Campus and East Campus. Many freshmen live in Towers, North, and Northwest Campus. To learn more about specific halls/areas, visit Residential Life. Can room assignments be changed ?UConn recognizes that occasionally residents are matched with roommates with whom they do not feel compatible. If this occurs, your student may request a room change through their hall director after an initial waiting period at the beginning of each semester. The ability to change a room is dependent upon available vacancies. Consistent with the University’s commitment to non-discrimination, roommate changes can not be made with regard to race, age, ability, veteran status, color, national origin, religious affiliation or sexual orientation. What kind of supervision exists in the residence halls?There is a network of supervision that starts with the Department of Residential Life. In direct contact with the students, however, is the Hall Director. This position is a full-time professional position, in which the hall director is responsible for an entire area of campus (i.e., East Campus, North Campus, Hilltop). The hall director supervises and maintains safety, and enforces the rules and regulations within his/her designated area. There are also Assistant Hall Directors for most areas. Hall Directors and Assistant Hall Directors live in the residence hall and are directly responsible for the Resident Assistants (RA’s). The RA‘s are highly trained students that act as liaisons between the students and the University. They also act as information sources, counselors and disciplinarians. My son/daughter uses a wheelchair. Will it be difficult for him/her to get around campus and into buildings?The Center for Students with Disabilities assists students in many ways. In terms of academic life, all classes are open to students with physical disabilities. Priority registration of these students will ensure that a class is held in an accessible building. Special equipment is available for the sight, hearing and mobility impaired. Several residence halls have been modified to accommodate students with disabilities, and special assignments can be made concerning location, roommates or easy access. Special seating at Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts, Connecticut Repertory Theatre and the Gampel Pavilion also can be arranged. The Center for Students with Disabilities also accommodates students with temporary disabilities (e.g., a broken limb) on a case-by-case basis. For more information, visit the Center for Students with Disabilities website. The University operates an accessible van service to take students around campus. My son/daughter is going to live off campus. Will he/she be excluded from activities that the residents take part in?Commuters are able to take advantage of all the activities that are available to resident students with the exception of those activities taking place in the residence halls. They can take advantage of the intramural sport teams, fraternities, sororities, clubs, organizations, shuttle bus system and meal plans. To meet people outside the classroom, commuters can study in the library, where approximately 7,000 to 8,000 students study daily at any given time. The Student Union building also provides a lounge for commuters to study or relax. Shuttle buses transport students to many apartment complexes immediately off campus. In addition, the Office of Off-Campus Student Services offers resources and advocacy for UConn students' off-campus living and/or commuting experience. How does the phone system operate? (Landlines)The UCONNECT phone system assigns one telephone number to each residence hall room. The student will receive this number when s/he moves on campus. The student must provide his/her own telephone. UConn’s UConnect telephone service allows students to dial and receive campus, local and long-distance calls as well as calling card, operator-assisted and toll-free calls. Students will also enjoy all the benefits of call waiting, call forwarding, three-way calling, distinctive ring, speed dial and voice mail. For more information on the campus phone system, visit the University Information Technology Services website. What percentage of students leave campus on weekends?With over 12,000 students housed on-campus, approximately one-third of the student population leaves on the weekend. Although the campus may seem quiet due to the lack of faculty, staff and students walking to and from work and classes, there are a variety of events planned during any given weekend. The University‘s student programming board, SUBOG, plans weekend activities and events that are open to all students; in addition, there are athletic competitions, club/organization events, and performances at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts and Connecticut Repertory Theatre. UConn at Storrs has several museums that feature changing exhibits: Benton Museum of Art, Connecticut Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Puppetry. We even have our own ice rink, which offers free skating to students almost year-round. Weekends are also a good time to catch up on studying. Our students come from every state in the nation and over 90 different countries, so there are quite a few people around during the weekend. How large are the rooms on campus?Most double rooms in small unit residences (Northwest, West Campus, East Campus, North) are 154 square feet. Double rooms in high rises or large residence halls (Buckley, Hilltop, etc.) vary from approximately 150 to 180 square feet. Visit the Residential Life for more information. Do students need to provide their own linens?Yes, students must provide all their own linens (bedding, towels, etc.). Beds in the undergraduate residence halls are extra-long twin size. Regular twin sheets will not fit. Husky ID card-operated washers and dryers are located in every residence hall for the students’ convenience. Students can put money on their Husky ID card at the One-Card Office in the Wilbur Cross Building, at the UConn Co-op, Homer Babbidge Library, Student Union, and at the One-Card website. What size are the beds in the residence halls?Most bed frames are 80" x 36". It is recommended that you buy sheets for an 80" bed. The exact dimensions for the bed your student will have will not be available in advance of his/her arrival, so in order to be prepared, you may choose to purchase the extra long sheets, or wait until your son/daughter moves into the room. Are lofted beds allowed in the residence halls?Homemade lofts are not allowed on campus. The only lofts allowed are those provided by the University. For details on each of UConn’s residence halls visit Residential Life. Are there laundry and dry cleaning facilities on or near campus?Students living on campus use their student ID card to operate the washers and dryers. Money can be added to ID cards at many different locations on campus. Washers and dryers are located in all residence halls on campus. The cost is approximately $1.25 to wash and $1.25 to dry. For commuters, a laundry center (Storrs Commons Laundry Center) is located across from E.O. Smith High School on Route 195. This laundry center also offers dry cleaning services. What are the options for student parking on campus?Students living on campus must have 54 or more credits to be eligible for parking. Eligible students must apply for a parking sticker. The fee for a sticker may vary: $110 for residents, and $86 to $324 for commuters. There is a non-University owned parking lot available to those students who are not eligible for campus parking known as Farmer Brown’s Lot. For more information regarding the price and details of this lot, contact ProPark at: (860) 527-2378. It is in your best interest to contact them early, as this lot fills up quickly. How can my son/daughter obtain UConn Basketball/Football tickets?To inquire about athletic tickets, your student should contact the UConn Athletic Ticket Office at (860) 486-2724. They can best direct any questions s/he may have concerning ticket purchases. What type of computer hookup is available in the Residence Halls?All residence halls are equipped with data jacks to connect to the Internet via the University network. This can be done using the student’s own computer and a network communications card. Most of the time, this card is already included with the student’s computer. For older computers without network cards (different than modems), network cards can be purchased at the Co-Op or most other computer retailers. For a weath of information about connecting to the University network, visit the HuskyTech website. What if my son/daughter does not have his/her own computer?There are computer labs in several different locations throughout campus including the CUE Builidng, Homer Babbidge Library and other academic buildings. Computers can also be found in the Wilbur Cross Building. What items should my son/daughter bring with him/her to campus?For a detailed list of suggested items to take to campus access the Residential Life website. This site also lists items that are prohibited in University residence halls and gives specifications for microwave ovens and refrigerators. Can students rent refrigerators on campus?Students cannot rent refrigerators from the University, although they can have one in their room. Refrigerator specifications can be found on the Residential Life website. As a parent of a UConn student, can I use the recreational facility to work out?Yes, parents are allowed to use the recreational facilities at Storrs as long as they attend with their student and pay a fee of $7 a day. The fee must be paid by check or cash. For detailed information, please visit the UConn Recreation website. Can students smoke in the residence halls?Effective July 1, 2003, Connecticut state law prohibited smoking in university-owned housing at public colleges and universities. All of the residence halls and campus-owned apartments at UConn became smoke-free living environments at that time. The Department of Residential Life is continuing to collect information on student smoking preferences in an effort to facilitate compatible roommate pairings since smoke carried on clothes can affect students with allergies.
|